Dreaming: Victorious
by emeralddusk
Summary: They got rid of Tori Vega for my image; I'm not myself anymore, but I am famous. Very high T-rating. Graphic Bori. Mild Cori.


_"Tori got Her Wings...Is she an angel? Or will she just fly away?"_

Victorious

Chapter One: The Show Stopper

Cameras flashed; crowds screamed; as sparkling, dazzling lights illuminated the entire city with dramatic green, yellow, and red hues, the sound of speeding cars and penetrating hopes screeched at an all-time high. Los Angeles: The City of Angels, The Isle of Dreams, The City of Fallen Angels, glowed with a radiant flare as the long-awaited event neared. Cold winds flowed through the town, only to entice the emotions, sensations, and experience of the evening. Among hundreds of glistening traffic lights, one set of golden brights shone through the darkness; a jet-black limousine swerved into its reserved spot in front of the diamond-studded premier. Thick, red-velvet ropes restricted massive hoards of excited, devoted fans from stepping upon the matching carpet. Blizzards of red, gold, silver, and yellow shining confetti rained down upon the scene, accenting the blinding spotlights projecting from Grauman's Theater. Tonight, the cinema would be home to an opening performance by the near-world-renowned pop star, Victoria Vega.

Once the slick vehicle stopped, a black-haired young man opened the door, and a gorgeous young woman of medium height, with a slim, flawless, model-grade figure and long, lightly-curled brown hair set her sparkling, golden, high-heel-clad foot on the carpet, and stood up to face the flashing lights and cheers. Draped in an elaborate, sparkling black dress laced with intricate golden lines, and coated in dark sequence, the young woman proudly walked forward, letting her jet-black lipstick reflect the passionate light of the moon. Her hair was curled, streaked with black dye, and laying restlessly on her shoulders. She looked dark, sensuous, and, above all, beautiful. Wearing a lightly-satisfied but cold expression, Tori gave an occasional wave to the press, but payed little attention to anything else. Her perfume-frosted shoulders lightly swayed back and forth with every step, as did her waist. "We love you, Victoria! You're like the hottest thing alive! Please, love me!" Ignoring the comments, the young starlet entered the theatre, and headed backstage.

_ I can still see that poem...Andre' mentioned it to me; that it was on a fan site dedicated the Victoria Vega, _Tori thought to herself, her glazed eyes focused on the curtains she was approaching. _He praised my eyes...I haven't seen my eyes since I was a kid...everyone says they're beautiful, but I just see the black mascara piercing around them._ Having her manager and stylists do her hair, makeup, and wardrobe back at her home, the teenager sat down and looked over the lyrics her manager wrote for her.

_"How'd I get here?_

_Not used to blacking out..._

_I'll fade if you want me to..._

_Rise if that's what the world needs to breathe_

_In its smokey air_

_Through my lungs; So I can't swallow myself._

_Blind me, suffocate me, if that's what they wanna make me._

_I can take it, I can make it..._

_What I am._

_Let the lights go dim, let the ice come in:_

_Blind the eyes, melt in the fire like fireflies."_

Setting the sheet music down, Victoria observed the image before her; her reflection in the mirror. Every time she saw her reflection, she felt different...unbalanced with herself. But she kept looking into the glass, kept letting them change her day after day after day. Gently stroking down her slightly-teased locks, the young woman witnessed her face start to sink into a sorrowful frown of self-pity.

"Victoria," called one of the managers. "You're on in 3. Are you ready?"

Breaking herself away from her shattered reflection and taking another look at the music written for her to sing; recalling the steps she was told to dance to (like a little doll in the hands of a spoiled child), Tori stood up and walked onto the concealed stage. In a couple of minutes (more like seconds), the satin curtains would part, and she would be revealed to the masses yet again. Every feeling she experienced her first time began to come back; the cold, stinging sweat, the gentle quaking of her hands, the shortened, frequent breaths, the taste of the lipstick on her mouth, the smell of new, dangerous perfume, and the sound of an ovation. Looking up to the hot lights above her, Victoria took a breath, took stock of herself and her situation, then turned her gaze forward. Suddenly, the curtains thrust open, the near-thousands of fans flooding the seats roared with applause, and the young woman raised the microphone to her mouth to begin her performance.

Standing ovation; living on the edge of darkness; fame, talent, and living the dream; Tori watched the lights flash by her through the darkened windows. Above her, the stars were shimmering with their own dark, intricate lights. As she approached her home, the young woman felt the silence; no one to sit with, no one to hear praise or appreciation from, and no one to care.

"Great show, babe," the dark-haired young man said, setting his coat on the chair in Victoria's bedroom. Tori stroked her hand through Beck's long, lush locks, smiling into his warm, brown eyes, and was met by his calm, tempered, loving smile. The two gently pressed their lips together; feeling each others emotions, each other's temperance melting into the passionate moisture of their lips, and the warming embrace of the others flesh.

"Would've been better if they'd let me share it with you," the brunette girl replied, feeling her lover pull off her jacket during their kiss. Victoria quickly unbuttoned Beck's shirt, pulling the fabric away from his toned, muscled chest with each movement. Sliding his heated palms down Tori's smooth, thinly-toned arms, feeling beads of sweat starting to mist on her skin. Her heart pounding alittle bit faster, the young woman took in a deep breath, and roughly tore open the boy's shirt, leaving his tanned, sturdy chest revealed. Beck felt his pulse start to spike, his heart rate speed up. Quickly pulling Victoria's pink tank top over her head, letting it fall onto the ground, the young man briefly took in the sight of his lover's exposed cleavage in her light, tan bra, then felt another collision between his and his girlfriend's soft lips. Opening and closing their mouths together in a graceful ballet, the lovers felt their bodies erupt into an enticing blaze. Quickly slipping off their pants, Beck allowed Victoria to coerce his body onto the bed. The brunette curled her legs inward, letting them lay around her boyfriend's, pressed her hands down on his pectoral muscles, and let her soft pink panties gently slide up and down her lower body as she caressed Beck's lower waist. Their breathing growing heavier and heavier, the teenagers began sweating and gasping with defeated ecstasy. Tori flipped her hair to the side, whisping it out of her face, and slowly lay her breasts against Beck's warm chest. Closing their eyes tightly, the lovers soon came to find themselves completely naked with one another. Tori gaspingly kissed her boyfriend over and over and over again, feeling him do the same.

All too soon, the night came to an end, and the brunette awoke under her sheets, stripped of everything but her bra. As always, Beck was gone, and his note was left on Tori's dresser. "Dear Tori," it read. "Love you, thank you, and I'll miss you. Until we see each other again. Love, Beck." Smiling, the teenager folded the note back in half, set it inside a small box under her bed, straightened out her hair, and slipped her exposed body into her bathroom to take a shower._ October Ninth_

Around ten o'clock, Victoria was making her way through the hallway of Hollywood Arts, a prestigious high school devoted to the performing arts. Clad in pre-torn jeans, a red top accented with a black and brown leather jacket, black lipstick, and a tight, banged ponytail, the young woman entered the combination into her locker, which was covered with the imprint of a black-outlined skyline illuminated with blue lights, under a black sky with rhinestone stars. "Make it Shine!" was painted around the design with bright green paint, serving as inspiration for school performances and projects. Opening the cold metal door, Victoria set her book bag down, looked through her sheet music, gathered her books, and grew detatched from the world for a moment. Suddenly, she felt a tap on her shoulder, snapping her out of her trance. Quickly shooting her head around, the brunette girl came face-to-face with none other than her best friend since first grade; the adorable, lovable, innocent little red-velvet-haired girl named Catherine "Cat" Valentine. Her cute, little face, gently painted with a light layer of foundation, blush, and red velvet lipstick, was wearing its usual bright smile. "Hey, Tori," Cat excitedly greeted her best friend, hopping into the air alittle bit.

"Hey, Kitten," Victoria warmly replied, giving the girl a loving hug. The two closed their eyes and enjoyed the embrace for a second, then pulled back into life. "What's up?"

"Just wanted to say hi to my bestest girlfriend," the redhead teenager happily answered. "Glad you decided to show up today," she jokingly added. Tori chuckled under her breath, stroked the girl's red locks out of her face, and nodded thankfully. "Great show last night."

"Thanks, sweetie," the brunette girl replied, hiding her regret and remorse over the fact that none of her friends were there with her that night; the fact that her friends have never been allowed to be with her when she performed. "It would've been better if you'd been there." _Something I say all the time, _Victoria confessed to herself, realizing how repetative and defenseless she really was when it came down to making things better with her friends, or her life.

Catherine smiled her heart-melting smile, and reached into her pocket. "I have something for you," she said. "It's not a recording contract or some guy's underwear, but it's pretty important, I think." Tori burst out laughing at Cat's comment, then held out her hand to recieve her gift. "Tori, you know the rules."

"Oop," the young woman replied, closing her eyes. "Okay, ready." Placing her smooth, clenched fist gently into Victoria's open palm, Cat slowly opened her hand into a palm-to-palm, fingertip-to-fingertip embrace, then slowly stroked her fingers back, retracting her arm back to her side. Smiling, Tori opened her eyes, and gazed at the present. "Oh my gosh, Cat...it's beautiful," she exclaimed, shocked beyond all belief at the raw, worn-golden beauty of the band; the small, gently-crafted chain that had washed into her palm like grains of cool sand. Finally, the chain's end came into sight; a golden, but somehow-red-hued oval pendant with Tori and Cat engraved in a flawless cursive style. "My gosh, Kitten...thank you." Tori gave her best friend a massive hug, then let go, allowing Cat to bestow the friendship necklace over her shining hair and around her neck.

"For our friendship anniversary," the red-haired girl explained.

"It really beats what I got you," Victoria sadly accepted, fumbling through her purse. "Close your eyes, sweetie." Cat smiled, giggled, and closed her eyes, holding her open hand out. Tori gently placed a small, soft, almost furry box in the girl's palm, then opened it. Cat opened her eyes, gasped with all her might, and dropped her jaw faster than her racing heart could beat. "Oh my...Tori...this is...I can't even describe this." Glistening within the dark blue interior of the box was a shining, crystalline ring glowing with a smooth, nearly-transparent diamond ring topped with a marvelous gold setting entrusting a sapphire diamond that resembled the surface of the deepest of oceans.

"It's a friendship ring," Victoria explained, putting the ring on Catherine's thin ring finger with great delicacy. "Whenever you take it off, read the inscription inside." Taking Cat's fingers, allowing them to wrap around her own, Tori closed her eyes and gently kissed the ring. "I love you, Kitten."

"Love you, too, Tori," Cat practically wept. "You didn't have to do all this to show it, though." Tori merely smiled, and hugged her friend once again.

Leaning against her black locker, covering several of the near-florescent blue streaks forming Gothic waves, a dark-brunette girl with pale skin, black lipstick and eye liner that sharpened the appearance of her eyes to an almost feline style, and streaks or blue and red running along with her locks, glared at the two best friends from a distance. "Hey Trina, check out your lesbian sister," the dark-haired girl mocked.

"Knock it, Jade," Katrina, Tori's older sister of roughly one year, shot back. Her long, thick, brown hair rested on her back as she looked away from the script of an upincoming project. "They're just friends. Besides, what do you care?"

"It's just irritating to look at," the Gothic girl coldly answered, turning away from the scene.

"She thinks she's all that," Trina added. "It does get to be a piss-off to look at twenty-four/seven...but it's not her or Cat's fault. Just forget them, okay?"

"Whatever," Jade gave in, checking her phone for the time. "Hey, you wanna meet Donna and I after school?"

"Sure," the older of the Vega sisters answered. "Can't stay long, though. You know..." Jade nodded, then slung her bag over her shoulder and walked off to class. Trina remained still, glancing over at her sister.

Standing on stage that night, knowing she'd rather be with Cat on their special day, Tori looked up from her microphone, readied herself for another act of self-betrayal, spotted her manager out of the corner of her glitter-tinted eye, then awaited the opening of the curtains.

Laying under the covers, staring at the darkness all around her, Victoria found herself thinking about everything that had happened; _Still singing songs I didn't write and don't believe in, trying to hide what I have with Beck, even though everyone knows...Cat's my best friend, but she can't come to my performances...whatever._ Refusing to look deeper into the matter, Tori rolled onto her side, and slowly fell asleep.


End file.
